February 1 - 15, 2017

These are the scripts Joe Benson used on the air at 100.3 The Sound (KSWD) in Los Angeles. They all received final editing by Jan Benson, without whom the task would have been far too daunting. Remember to give credit where credit is due, and enjoy!

February 1, 2017

Guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers is 67.

On this day in 1963, Neil Young, at age 17, performed his first professional date at a country club in Winnipeg, Canada.

On this day in 1964, Beatlemania and the British Invasion of America were at full strength as The Beatles' "Meet The Beatles" album began an 11-week run at #1 (during which it sold over five million copies), and their "I Want To Hold Your Hand" began a seven-week run at #1 as "Please Please Me" entered the charts on its way to #3.

On this day in 1964, Bob Dylan released his classic "The Times They Are A Changin'" album. It took over a month to enter the charts, and eventually topped out at #20.

On this day in 1965, The Rolling Stones released their legendary "The Rolling Stones, Now!" album. Over two months later, it finally peaked at #5 on the charts.

On this day in 1967, The Beatles recorded the rhythm tracks for the title cut of their classic "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album while playing live in Abbey Road Studio #2.

On this day in 1970, Van Morrison released his extraordinary "Moondance" album. While it barely peaked at #29 six months later, it eventually sold over three million copies.

On this day in 1986, John Mellencamp's "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." entered the singles charts on its way to #2.

On this day in 1988, The Cars officially broke up for the first time.

The Uncle Joe Show Menu

Hump Day 2/1/17

George's 40th Party

It's official! George Thorogood & The Destroyers will celebrate the 40th anniversary of their self-titled debut album with a Rock Party Tour starting on February 28th. A week later, George will rock a March 8th stop at the House Of Blues in Anaheim. In a very cool move, one dollar from each ticket sold for George's concerts will be donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which works toward finding a cure for blood cancers and helps ensure that cancer patients have access to treatment. Meanwhile, George and the boys have been working on their first new studio album in six years, and plan to release it later this year.

R.I.P John Wetton

Singer/bassist John Wetton, a founding member of Asia, has lost his fight with colon cancer. The 67-year-old is the second former member of King Crimson to die of cancer in the last two months: the disease also took Greg Lake in December. Ironically, Wetton's replacement in Asia is Yes bassist Billy Sherwood, who replaced bassist Chris Squire after his death from cancer in 2015. God speed, John.

It was Will Rogers who said: "Don't let yesterday use up too much of today."

It was Elbert Hubbard who said: "Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit."

It was Martin Luther King, Jr. who said: "In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

It was Mario Andretti who said, "Circumstances may cause interruptions and delays, but never lose sight of your goal."

February 2, 2017

On this day in 1978, after four years of playing virtually every club and backyard in Southern California, Van Halen signed their first recording contract. It was at that time that publicists subtracted a couple years from each member's age to make them seem even more astounding.

On this day in 1979, 21-year-old Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious died in New York of a heroin overdose. He was not a hero.

On this day in 1980, the Eagles' song "The Long Run" peaked at #8 on the singles charts just as Rush's breakthrough album "Permanent Waves" began its climb to #4.

It was Martin Luther King, Jr. who said: "Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."

It was Voltaire who said: "Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her: but once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game."

It was Marilyn Manson who said: "Ever notice how 'What the hell' is always the right answer?"

It was Mark Cuban who said: "Work like there is someone working 24 hours a day to take it away from you."

Groundhog Heaven

Today is Groundhog Day, and over 15,000 spectators are expected to gather at "Gobbler's Knob" to see the large rodent named Punxsutawney Phil emerge from his/her lair to see its shadow. Legend has it that if P-Phil can see its own shadow on February 2nd, winter will last another six weeks. Expect an early Spring if P-Phil does not see its shadow! Since 1886, P-Phil has seen its shadow 99 times, hasn't seen it 16 times and there are no records for the other years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The whole event, as well as Punxsutawney (a rural community 90 miles northwest of Pittsburgh), were made even more famous worldwide in the movie "Groundhog Day," which starred Bill Murray. Strangely enough, no one has seen Murray's shadow since 1999... but that's another story for another time.

February 3, 2017

Dave Davies, the fist swinging, guitar playing younger brother in The Kinks, is 70.

On this day in 1959, Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens were killed when their small plane crashed in bad weather shortly after take-off from Mason City, Iowa. They had decided to pay for plane tickets rather than travel by bus to Fargo, North Dakota. At the last minute, Holly's bass player, Waylon Jennings, gave up his seat so that the Big Bopper could make the flight. This tragedy is often referred to as "The day the music died."

On this day in 1968, The Beatles recorded "Lady Madonna" in three takes at Abbey Road Studios in London.

On this day in 2004, saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus, who played with the The Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan among many others, died from a heart attack on a commercial flight from New York to California. He was 58.

All Hail T.P.

Next Friday's 27th annual MusiCares Person Of The Year tribute to Tom Petty keeps growing. Among the all-star line-up are the Foo Fighters, Stevie Nicks, Jackson Browne, ELO's Jeff Lynne, Don Henley, Randy Newman, George Strait, Jakob Dylan, Dhani Harrison and The Bangles. And then, T.P. & The Heartbreakers will close the night out with a performance sure to bring the house down. Besides honoring Tom, the tribute is an excellent way to raise funds for MusiCares' emergency financial assistance and addiction recovery programs for artists in need. Right so!

It was John Lennon who said (in his song "Beautiful Boy"): "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans."

It was John Lubbock who said: "A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work."

It was Harry Truman who said: "It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours."

It was Jean Giraudoux who said: "Only the mediocre are always at their best."

February 4, 2017

On this day in 1970, John Lennon and Yoko Ono traded a bag of their cut hair in return for a pair of genuine Muhammad Ali boxing shorts. And you thought the Seventies were boring!

On this day in 1978, Queen's "We Are The Champions" peaked at #4, E.L.O.'s "Turn To Stone" hit #13 and Heart's "Crazy On You" topped out at #62.

On this day in 1984, the Pretender's "Learning To Crawl" album entered the charts on its way to #5.

On this day in 1984, Mötley Crüe's cranking "Looks That Kill" became their first entry into the singles charts. That run lasted for 10 weeks, during which the song peaked at #54. Superstardom was still just a bit out of reach.

On this day in 2001, Jimmy Buffett was kicked out of his court side seats at a Miami Heat/New York Knicks game due to his use of profanity. Unfortunately for Jimmy, that burst of rebellious Rock & Roll-ish behavior didn't help his record sales in the least.

February 5, 2017

Legendary session drummer Hal Blaine is 88. As the top Los Angeles studio drummer in the Sixties and early Seventies, he played on more than 8,000 different tracks for hundreds and hundreds of different musicians including the Beach Boys, The Byrds and Simon & Garfunkel. It's almost impossible to listen to an oldies radio station for more than 10 minutes without hearing a song with Hal Blaine's drumming.

Cory Wells of Three Dog Night would have been 76.Al Kooper, keyboardist for Dylan and Blood, Sweat & Tears, is 73.
Original Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagen is 53.

On this day in 1972, Neil Young's "Heart Of Gold" (featuring Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor on backing vocals at the end of the song) entered the singles charts on its way to #1.

On this day in 1972, Elton John's landmark "Madman Across The Water" peaked at #8 as it sold over two million copies. Superstardom was less than six months away.

On this day in 1976, the Electric Light Orchestra's definitive version of "Do Ya" entered the singles charts on its way to #24 and a place in the Bar Band Hall Of Fame. Little did anyone know, but ELO leader Jeff Lynne had written and recorded the song five years earlier as a member of The Move.

On this day in 1983, Def Leppard's huge breakthrough album "Pyromania" entered the charts on its way to #2 and over 10 million sold.

On this day in 1983, Journey continued their run as one of America's most popular touring and recording bands as "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" entered the singles charts on its way to #8.

February 6, 2017

Reggae god Bob Marley would have been 72.
Über-drummer Simon Phillips, who's worked with The Who and Toto, is 60.
Über frontman Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses is 55.

On this day in 1965, legendary concert promoter Bill Graham presented his first show when he rented out the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco for $60. The show, a benefit concert for the city's mime troupe, featured the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, who were anything but mimes.

On this day in 1965, every garage band in America added two new songs to their repertoire as "All Day And All Of The Night" by The Kinks peaked at #7 and The Animals "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" began its run to #15 on the singles charts.

On this day in 1971, as Elton John's self-titled U.S. debut album hit #4, Emerson, Lake & Palmer's self-titled debut album entered the charts on its way to #18 and the turntables of High Fi Stereo stores around the world.

On this day in 1982, as the J. Geils Band hit #1 with their song "Centerfold" and The Rolling Stones' "Waiting On A Friend" peaked at #13, Joan Jett's cover of "I Love Rock & Roll" entered the charts on its way to a seven-week run at #1 and Van Halen's cover of Roy Orbison's classic "(Oh) Pretty Woman" began its climb to#12. The Eighties were rocking!

On this day in 1988, Bruce Springsteen's "Tunnel Of Love" peaked at #9 on the singles chart.

On this day in 1993, R.E.M.'s enigmatic "Man On The Moon" entered the singles charts on its way to #30.

On this day in 1998, Beach Boy Carl Wilson died of cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 51.

On this day in 2011, Irish guitarist Gary Moore died of a heart attack at the age of 58 while on a holiday in Spain. Following three stints in Thin Lizzy, Moore reinvented himself as an excellent blues musician, released several critically-acclaimed albums and performed with legends B.B. King, Albert King, Albert Collins, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and George Harrison.

The Uncle Joe Show Menu

Monday 2/6/17

It was Vince Lombardi who said: "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."

It was Eleanor Roosevelt who said: "Do what you feel in your heart to be right — for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't."

It was Barry LePatner who said: "Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment."

It was Henry David Thoreau who said: "It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?."

February 7, 2017

KISS fan Garth Brooks is 55 and very rich.
Original Bon Jovi keyboardist David Bryan is also 55 (and not nearly as rich as Garth).

On this day in 1894, Antoine Sax, inventor of the saxophone, died in Paris at the age of 79.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles landed at New York's Kennedy Airport to make their first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." "I Want To Hold Your Hand" was already #1 on the charts, and thousands of screaming fans greeted them at the airport as the first wave of Beatlemania swept across America. Life as we knew it would never be the same.

On this day in 1970, Badfinger's cover of Paul McCartney's "Come And Get It" entered the U.S. singles charts on its way to #7 as Joe Cocker's cover of Paul McCartney and John Lennon's "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" peaked at #30.

On this day in 1976, recorded under harrowing circumstances in Los Angeles, David Bowie's "Station To Station" album entered the album charts on its way to #3, driven in part by the very catchy hit single, "Golden Years."

On this day in 1980, Pink Floyd played the first live performance ever of their "Wall" album at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The extremely ambitious multi-media production featured a wall built between the band and audience during the first half, and the debut performance was stopped briefly near the halfway point when fireworks set fire to the stage curtains (and we thought it was part of the show!). The entire presentation proved so expensive to stage, it was only performed 31 times in L.A., New York and Europe.

On this day in 1981, The Police's third album, "Zenyattà Mondatta," hit #5 as their "Don't Stand So Close To Me" entered the singles charts on its way to #10.

On this day in 2000, Foghat singer/guitarist "Lonesome" Dave Peverett succumbed to cancer at the age of 56 in an Orlando, Florida hospital.

The Uncle Joe Show Menu

Tuesday 2/7/17

It was P.G. Wodehouse who said: "The trouble with cats is that they've got no tact."

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said: "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."

It was Red Skelton who said: "All men make mistakes, but married men find out about them sooner."

It was Stephen Covey who said: "If we keep doing what we're doing, we're going to keep getting what we're getting."

February 8, 2017

James Dean would have been 86.Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe is 56.

On this day in 1958, the Quarrymen, featuring John Lennon and Paul McCartney, performed at Wilson Hall in Garston, England. It was there that Paul introduced John to an even younger guitarist named George Harrison.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles "I Saw Her Standing There" entered the singles charts on its way to #14 and repertoire of every garage band in the world.

On this day in 1969, Creedence Clearwater Revival's second album, "Bayou Country," entered the charts on a five-month run to #7 driven by the "Proud Mary" and "Born On The Bayou" hit singles.

On this day in 1975, Queen released "Killer Queen," which went on to become their first American hit single when it charted at #12. Superstardom was right around the corner.

On this day in 1975, Bob Dylan's "Blood On The Tracks," which many consider to be his best album, entered the charts on its way to two weeks at #1 and over two million sold.

On this day in 1986, Robert Palmer released his signature song, "Addicted To Love." Driven in part by its clever music video being played incessantly on MTV, it soon hit #1.

On this day in 1992, Eric Clapton's "Tears In Heaven" entered the charts on its way to four weeks at #2 and Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Pop Male Vocal GRAMMY Awards. Eric had written the song in the wake of the tragic death of his five-year-old son.

On this day in 1992, Van Halen's "Right Now" entered the singles charts on a short run to #55.

On this day in 2005, drummer/singer Keith Knudsen of the Doobie Brothers succumbed to pneumonia at the age of 56 in a San Francisco hospital.

The Uncle Joe Show Menu

Hump Day 2/8/17

This Sunday night at 8pm on 100.3 The Sound of Los Angeles, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Cream as well as conversation with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. Check out this preview!

It was James Bovard who said: "Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner."

It was Dr. Seuss who said: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

It was Mark Twain who said: "Total abstinence is so excellent a thing that it cannot be carried to too great an extent. In my passion for it I even carry it so far as to totally abstain from total abstinence itself."

It was Plato who said: "The penalty that good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves."

February 9, 2017

On this day in 1961, The Beatles played the first of 292 gigs at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England to an audience of a couple dozen. When 17-year-old George Harrison arrived in jeans — a violation of the club's audience dress code — he had to convince the bouncer that he was "in the band." The group already had a following in the dank nightclubs of Hamburg, Germany, but The Cavern was their biggest hometown venue to date. Soon, hundreds would be lining up to see them play.

On this day in 1964, in a defining TV moment, The Beatles appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show." A record audience of 73 million people tuned in to watch the Fab Four's debut American performance. The band performed "All My Loving," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You," "I Saw Her Standing There," and their current #1 single, "I Want to Hold Your Hand." George Harrison played despite suffering from a bad case of the flu. Also on that night's show were singer Georgia Brown and the cast of "Oliver!," which included future-Monkee Davy Jones.

On this day in 1974, Paul McCartney's "Jet" broke into the U.S. Top 40 singles charts, eventually topping out at #7.

On this day in 1980, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' breakthrough album, "Damn The Torpedos," hit #2 for the first of seven weeks just as The Clash's heavily lauded "London Calling" began its slow climb to #27.

The Uncle Joe's Show Menu

Thursday 2/9/17

It was Benjamin Franklin who said: "A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle."

It was Annie Proulx who said: "One of the tragedies of real life is that there is no background music."

It was Harry S. Truman who said: "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."

It was baseball legend Joe Garagiola who said: "Oh well, half of one, six dozen of the other."

February 10, 2017

Elton John's longtime drummer, Nigel Olsson, is 68.

On this day in 1968, Jimi Hendrix's second album, "Axis: Bold As Love," entered the charts on its way to three psychedelic weeks at #3.

On this day in 1973, Steely Dan's "Do It Again" peaked at #6 on the singles chart as Elton John's "Don't Shoot Me, I'm Only The Piano Player" album began its climb to two weeks at #1 and three million sold.

On this day in 1978, Van Halen released their self-titled debut album, which eventually sold over 10 million copies.

On this day in 1979, Dire Straits released their breakthrough single "Sultans of Swing" just as Rod Stewart's "Blondes Have More Fun" album hit #1 for the first of three weeks.

On this day in 1987, Roger Waters dropped his lawsuit against his former Pink Floyd bandmates over the use of the band's name. In return, they agreed to pay him some heavy, heavy royalties.

On this day in 1990, Aerosmith's "Janie's Got A Gun" peaked at #4 on the singles chart.

On this day in 1997, Sweet's singer, Brian Connolly, died of kidney failure at the age of 52 in Slough, England.

The Uncle Joe's Show Menu

Friday 2/10/17

This Sunday night at 8pm on 100.3 The Sound of Los Angeles, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Cream as well as conversation with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce. Check out this preview!

It was Ronald Reagan who said: "Trust, but verify."

It was Judy Garland who said: "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else."

It was Thomas Fuller who said: "Get the facts, or the facts will get you."

It was Confucius who said: "Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves."

February 11, 2017

On this day in 1963, The Beatles recorded 11 songs for their first album, "Please Please Me," in one amazing 10-hour session at Abbey Road studios. Suffering from a cold and totally thrashed from the marathon session, John Lennon nailed "Twist and Shout" in one take at the end of the session. The next day, they decided to make that song the album's closer.

On this day in 1964, The Beatles performed their first American concert at Washington, D.C.'s Washington Coliseum. With all of the fans screaming, the Fab Four couldn't even hear themselves play.

On this day in 1978, Journey's breakthrough album, "Infinity," entered the charts on its way to #21 and three million sold. It was their first album with singer Steve Perry and producer Roy Thomas Baker (who had famously worked with Queen).

On this day in 1978, the title track of Jackson Browne's classic "Running On Empty" album entered the charts on a run to #11.

On this day in 1984, "That's All" by Genesis hit #6, "Pink Houses" by John Mellencamp peaked at #8 and "Middle Of The Road" by the Pretenders topped out at #19 on the singles charts.

On this day in 1989, U2's "Angel Of Harlem" peaked at #14 on the singles charts.

On this day in 1995, Van Halen's "Balance" album — their last with Sammy Hagar on lead vocals — hit #1 while selling over three million copies.

February 12, 2017

Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of The Doors would have been 78.Steve Hackett, Genesis' second lead guitarist, is 67.
Drummer Gil Moore of Triumph is 66.
Singer/keyboardist Michael McDonald of Doobie Brothers fame is 65.

On this day in 1964, Beatlemania hit New York as the Fab Four played two shows at Carnegie Hall. In Washington, D.C., President Lyndon Johnson met with British Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home and told him, "I like your advance guard. But don't you think they need haircuts?"

On this day in 1967, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards' mansion was raided by 15 policemen, who discovered "various substances of a suspicious nature." Richards, Mick Jagger and his girlfriend Marianne Faithfull were arrested, then later acquitted on drug charges.

On this day in 1968, Jimi Hendrix returned to his hometown of Seattle to receive the key to the city and an honorary high school diploma (he had dropped out at the age of 14). He also spent some time boinking Seattle maidens — a true homecoming!

On this day in 1972, Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" (which was totally impossible to dance to) peaked at #15 as Joe Cocker's cover of "Feeling Alright" topped out at #33. Meanwhile, Yes' "Roundabout" entered the charts on its way to #13, Santana's "No One To Depend On" started its climb to #36 and Rod Stewart's "Handbags And Gladrags" began its short run to #42. Now that was a day!

On this day in 1977, Paul McCartney released the live version of his classic song "Maybe I'm Amazed," which eventually hit #10 on the singles charts.

On this day in 1977, Queen's "Day At The Races" album peaked at #5 while selling just over one million copies.

On this day in 1983, Styx's "Mr. Roboto" entered the singles charts on its way to two weeks at #3.

On this day in 2001, former Eagles guitarist Don Felder sued founding members Don Henley and Glenn Frey, claiming he was wrongly fired. Many, many lawyers are still living off their billings from that case.

February 13, 2017

Monkees bassist Peter Tork is 75.
Producer Bill Szymczyk, who discovered Joe Walsh & The James Gang and produced several of the Eagles' greatest albums, is 74.
Former Genesis frontman, the patron saint of world music and "Sledgehammer" singer Peter Gabriel is 67.
Original Foreigner bassist Ed Gagliardi is 67.

On this day in 1966, The Rolling Stones made their first U.S. TV show appearance, performing on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

On this day in 1967, The Beatles released the double-sided single "Penny Lane" (a Paul McCartney song) backed with John Lennon's "Strawberry Fields Forever" in the States where the songs soon reached #1 and #8, respectively. The single was issued in Britain four days later.

On this day in 1971, although Elton John's "Tumbleweed Connection" album hit #5 Stateside, superstardom was still 18 months away.

On this day in 1972, Led Zeppelin was forced to cancel a show in Singapore when officials wouldn't let the band and crew disembark the airplane because their hair was too long.

On this day in 1974, Bob Dylan finished his famous reunion tour with The Band at The Forum in Los Angeles. It was at that show that Bob recorded most of the songs for his live album, "Before The Flood."

On this day in 1982, Foreigner's "Jukebox Hero" entered the singles charts on its way to #26.

On this day in 1982, the 300 pound headstone on the grave of Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant was stolen from a Florida cemetery. Police found it abandoned in a dry river bed two weeks later.

On this day in 1988, INXS saw their rocking "Devil Inside" single start shooting up the charts on its way to #2, driven in part by incessant video airplay on MTV.

The Uncle Joe Show Menu

Monday 2/13/17

It was either Laurence J. Peter or Billy Sunday who first said: "Going to church doesn't make you any more a Christian than going to the garage makes you a car."

It was Oscar Wilde who said: "To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

It was Rosemarie Rossett who said: "Adversity precedes growth."

It was Lady Dorothy Neville who said: "The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing in the right place, but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment."

February 14, 2017

Roger Fisher, Heart's original lead guitarist, is 67.Matchbox 20 singer Rob Thomas (also known for his work with Santana) is 45.

On this day in 1843, a small English circus staged a performance for the benefit of a Mr. Kite. Just 124 years later, the circus poster for that show inspired John Lennon to write "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite" for The Beatles' classic "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album.

On this day in 1967, Aretha Franklin recorded her definitive version of Otis Redding's "Respect."

On this day in 1970, The Who recorded their concert at Leeds University in Northern England. The performance was immortalized as "Live At Leeds," one of the greatest live albums ever, and was released as a pseudo bootleg just three months later. The CD has now been reissued with all of the additional tracks (including the rock opera "Tommy") that were left off the original album. You must own it!

On this day in 1973, David Bowie collapsed at the end of his Valentine's Day Show at New York's Radio City Music Hall. A spokesperson said, "It was total exhaustion." Whew — we were afraid the reason for his collapse was his legendary lifestyle: staying up for days on end as he partied his brains out.

On this day in 1976, E.L.O.'s "Evil Woman" peaked at #10 as The Who's "Squeeze Box" topped out at #16 on the singles charts.

On this day in 1976, Bad Company's "Running With The Pack" album began its run to #5 on the charts.

On this day in 1978, Dire Straits began recording sessions in London for the group's debut album.

On this day in 1981, Steely Dan's "Hey Nineteen" peaked at #10 on the charts.

On this day in 1987, Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer" hit #1 as "We're Ready" by Boston peaked at #9 and Genesis' "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" began its climb to #3.

On this day in 1998, the Foo Fighters' classic "My Hero" barely made it to #59 on the singles charts — another indication that the music industry was coming apart at the seams.

On this day in 2000, KISS announced that the group was going on a farewell tour — a tour that still hasn't ended.

On this day in 2002, Mick Tucker, drummer for Sweet, lost his 5-year battle with Leukemia at the age of 54.

On this day in 2010, Doug Fieger, the leader of The Knack, passed away at the age of 57. An extremely knowledgeable music fan as well as a guiding voice behind the scenes to musicians both big and small, Doug lived to help others. As he said many times during his long fight with cancer, "I've had 10 great lives... I don't feel cheated in any way, shape, or form."

It was Pablo Neruda who said:
"I want to do to you what spring does with the cherry trees.
You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.
Love is so short, forgetting is so long."

It was Dave Barry who said:
"On Valentine's Day, millions of men give millions of women flowers, cards and candy as a heartfelt expression of the emotion that also motivates men to observe anniversaries and birthdays: fear."

Why Is It Valentine's and Not Pagan's Day?

For 800 years, prior to the establishment of Valentine's Day in the 5th century, the Romans practiced a pagan celebration every mid-February. It featured a lottery in which young men drew the names of teenage girls, each of whom would be his sexual companion for the next year. In an effort to do away with that darn pagan festival, Pope Gelasius established Valentine's Day as a tribute to St. Valentine, who had been stoned and beheaded by Roman Emperor Claudius II, also known as Claudius The Cruel. Before he was taken to his death, St. Valentine signed a farewell love note to the blind daughter of his jailer, "From your Valentine." According to legend, Valentine was beheaded on February 14th in approximately 270 A.D. Although the party-pooping Pope banned the lottery for young hotties, Roman men continued to use the mid-February holiday to seek the affection of women. It became a tradition for men to give the ones they admired handwritten messages of affection, containing Valentine's name. I'd venture a guess that if they were successful in their quest, the young men would then (figuratively) lose their head.

February 15, 2017

Glyn Johns, who produced albums for The Who, The Rolling Stones, Van Halen and the Eagles, is 75 and just a bit cranky.Mick Avory, long-time drummer for The Kinks is 73.John Helliwell, master of horns with Supertramp, is 72.
Keyboardist Andrew Farris of INXS is 58.

On this day in 1964, "Meet The Beatles" became the #1 album in America for the first of 11 weeks.

On this day in 1966, The Beatles recorded the John Lennon/Paul McCartney song "Ticket To Ride" and Paul's "Another Girl" with the three-guitar line-up of Lennon, George Harrison and McCartney. They finished the evening by recording Harrison's "I Need You." Not bad for a Monday!

On this day in 1969, The Doors' "Touch Me" peaked at #3 as Bob Seger's "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" topped out at #17 on the singles chart.

On this day in 1969, a month after it was released, Led Zeppelin's debut album finally entered the charts. It later peaked at #10 and eventually sold over 10 million copies. Meanwhile, Cream's somewhat cynical farewell album "Goodbye" began its quick ride to #2 on the charts while selling about 500,000 copies.

On this day in 1981, famed blues guitarist Michael Bloomfield died of a drug overdose in San Francisco at the age of 37.

On this day in 1985, Phil Collins released his classic "No Jacket Required" album. It eventually spent seven weeks at #1, sold over 12 million copies, and won Album Of The Year and Pop Male Vocal GRAMMY Awards.

On this day in 1986, Ozzy Osbourne's "The Ultimate Sin" album, driven in part by the hit singles "Crazy Train" and "Shot In The Dark," began its run to #6.

On this day in 1998, The Rolling Stones performed the final show of their "Bridges To Babylon" North American tour at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel. Always the master of understatement, Mick Jagger called the crowd, which included Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp and Sting, "the best-dressed audience I've ever seen in my life."

The Uncle Joe Show Menu

Hump Day 2/15/17

This Sunday night at 8pm on 100.3 The Sound of Los Angeles, OFF THE RECORD with Joe Benson will feature the music of Fleetwood Mac as well as more of Joe's extensive conversations with Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie. Check out this preview!

All Hail The Moodies

Sure, The Moody Blues could have celebrated their breakthrough album, "Days Of Future Passed," years ago. But now, as the classic concept album turns 50, the band has decided to celebrate their legacy with a Spring and Summer U.S. Tour. The tour will launch on June 2nd in Colorado... just remember to act surprised when more shows are announced!

Kings Of Chaos

Billy Idol, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, The Cult's Billy Duffy and STP's De Leo brothers will join Kings Of Chaos bandleader Matt Sorum for a one-off show at the April 8th Long Beach Grand Prix. Featuring a rotation of personnel hand picked by the former Guns N' Roses drummer, Matt and his all-star band will perform at the Long Beach Convention Center's outdoor stage after the last race of the day finishes — and those guys are going to rock!

It was Jerry Seinfeld who said: "Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason."

It was Benjamin Franklin who said: "By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail."

It was Will Rogers who said: "Everything is funny as long as it is happening to someone else."

It was G. K. Chesterton who said: "Impartiality is a pompous name for indifference, which is an elegant name for ignorance."